In Christ.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] Welcome to Village Church. [0:01] If this is your first time here, my name’s Steve. [0:03] I’m one of the pastors here at Village Church, and I’m thankful and grateful to see each [0:07] and every one of you here this morning. [0:09] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them to Romans chapter 8. [0:13] We’re going to be starting in verse 1 this morning in what is one of what I believe

[0:20] is a foundational chapter. [0:24] Some people would call it these anchor verses for your Christian life. [0:27] This is one of those texts that I recommend many people to at least memorize the themes [0:34] of this chapter of Scripture, because when you’re living the Christian life, this is [0:39] really one of these great summaries of everything that you will encounter, everything that you [0:46] will go through, every doubt that will enter in, every aspect of suffering and trials and

[0:52] tribulation. [0:53] There’s going to be something in chapter 8 that’s going to help you and aid you to [0:59] endure through those times in your lives, really unlike anywhere else in the Scriptures [1:04] that I’ve seen, because Paul just begins to expound on these great truths of what faith [1:11] in Jesus Christ is going to do for you as well as do in you. [1:16] He begins in this text to really combine all of the objective truths, the factual claims

[1:23] that he’s been making about Jesus Christ. [1:26] Then in chapter 7, he kind of went into a part that was very practical about the fact [1:30] that you’re going to go through temptation, you’re going to struggle with sin, Jesus is [1:35] going to give you the tools, faith in Christ is what’s going to drive you into faith in [1:40] Jesus Christ to aid you in struggling with the strength of God through your sin. [1:47] And then in chapter 8, he just begins over and over and over to expound on what is the

[1:54] life of the Holy Spirit in you versus the life of the flesh that you’ll struggle with. [2:01] And in verses 1 through 4, what the apostle Paul is going to do is really, he’s going [2:05] to reiterate every single thing that he said between chapter 3 and chapter 7 in four verses.

[2:14] And it’s so powerful that if you can gain the concept that’s taught in Romans chapter [2:19] 8 verse 1, you will have the ability from the Holy Spirit to follow Christ into every [2:28] vision that he’ll ever give you and into every step of obedience that he’s ever going to [2:32] call you to. [2:33] If you can grasp the reality that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. [2:46] If that will become the theme of your faith, if that will become the foundation of your

[2:55] relationship with God, then you can endure through anything in this life. [3:04] With hope and with meaning. Because the reality that we deserve condemnation yet God removes [3:13] every ounce of it is the greatest treasure that you’ll ever find in this life. [3:20] Because what you gain through that reality is more valuable than anything else in existence. [3:29] Because it gains you a relationship with the God who spoke everything into existence that [3:36] is.

[3:37] And so join me in Romans chapter 8 verse 1. Paul writes in response to what he said in [3:44] Romans chapter 7. He says, there is therefore, and actually in the original language it [3:50] just simply says therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. [3:58] Jesus for the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law [4:04] of sin and death for God has done with the law weakened by the flesh could not do by [4:11] sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin could not do.

[4:19] And for sin he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of [4:27] the law might be fulfilled in us. [4:31] And catch this, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. [4:40] Pray with me. Our Father, we come before you and what many in culture and if we’re honest [4:49] maybe trying times. But it’s my prayer this morning that you would fill us Holy Spirit [4:56] with a faith that will not only endure us through tough times and trials but will enable

[5:04] us to flourish through them. [5:08] Father, give us the strength and give us the hope so that we can have answers for a culture [5:13] that is so desperately in need of them. [5:17] Lord, may we not trivialize our faith but instead may we have a desire and then put [5:24] into action the acts that will build our faith in Jesus and will build our knowledge [5:33] of you and will build our closeness with you Father.

[5:39] Speak to us this morning through your word. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen. [5:47] Romans 7 25 gave us this great answer for the struggles that you are necessarily going [5:53] to face in your life. He’d gone through this long process in Romans chapter 7 and if you [6:00] weren’t here with us the past few weeks please go listen to those podcasts. But he talks [6:05] about this struggle that he’s doing the things that he doesn’t want to do and the things [6:09] that he does desire to do for God. He struggles and even when he’s able to find in a moment

[6:15] of obedience he finds that sin always lies close at hand and he’s still tempted but [6:21] he tells us these great things that he delights in God. But then he says what is the answer [6:27] for the man of sin, the O wretched man that I am? And he says this great praise. He says [6:32] thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. That’s the answer. It’s always Jesus. It will always [6:42] be Jesus centered upon the objective fact that he is the creator God. That he is the [6:51] one who was perfect yet he humbled himself to come to this earth, live a perfect life

[6:57] on our benefit, die a sinner’s death on our behalf and then rise from the dead victorious [7:03] over sin and death. And then he promises that if we trust in what he’s done and in who he [7:10] is then he will save us from our sin. And so Paul in his moment of struggle his answer [7:18] is not I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to be better. His answer is thank you Jesus [7:27] for saving me. Friends what you’ve got to understand is that being in Christ is all [7:36] about a faith in him that begins to work inside of you on its way out. So what you’re

[7:46] going to see this morning is that too often many of us will attempt to aid and fix the [7:51] problems that are going on in our lives by just starting with outward action. Starting [7:57] with how to’s. Starting with well if I could just do this thing better, if I could just [8:02] do that thing better then God could actually work through me and things would begin to [8:06] go a little bit better. But that is not the answer that Paul builds a foundation for [8:10] life on. He doesn’t begin by doing. He doesn’t begin by trying to fix. What Paul begins with

[8:18] is always faith in Jesus. Jesus is the answer. I can’t fix myself, I must go to him. Faith [8:29] is always where the power to combat feelings of condemnation and feelings of worthlessness [8:37] will be found. So I want you to understand number one this morning. It’s very simple, [8:43] it took it straight from the text, I couldn’t make it any better than the Holy Spirit did. [8:48] There is no condemnation for those in Christ. There’s none. There’s zero. You may respond [8:56] by saying but I feel condemned. I do not doubt that you feel that way. What do you

[9:04] think Romans 7 was all about? Even the apostle Paul himself struggled with the feelings of [9:13] condemnation. But in Romans 7 25 he combats that not with self-esteem but rather with [9:21] a love and a treasuring for who Jesus is that leads to a rock solid faith and a proclamation [9:29] that he has been freed from sin. And so he comes back to the thing that he kept coming [9:38] back to over and over in chapters 3, then in chapter 4, then in chapter 5, then in chapter [9:44] 6, and the first half of chapter 7. He starts off chapter 8 by returning to it once again

[9:50] and that is the gospel. Over and over Paul feels the need to remind us and by his use [9:58] of the first person pronoun throughout the end of chapter 7 I believe he’s reminding [10:03] himself as well that the gospel is always the answer to your life. There’s nothing [10:15] in your life that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not for. There’s nothing in your life that [10:25] is so profound or so difficult or so complex that you will not need to constantly remind [10:33] yourself of the gospel for. So friends what we see in our culture and what we see often

[10:39] times in the lives of believers and quite frankly what if you’re honest you’re going [10:43] to see in your life is that whenever a trial comes up or whenever an issue comes up you’ve [10:48] got to be honest the gospel isn’t always where you turn. See for some of us we do turn to [10:56] the sins that tempt us because we believe that we’re going to find satisfaction in [11:01] them. There are things that we know are wrong, there are things that we know should not be [11:07] in our lives, there are things that we know are not ultimately going to be the answer

[11:12] but we find temporary relief so we turn to those things. We talked about those a few [11:16] weeks ago. But then there’s also something else that many of us struggle with turning [11:24] to and those are those things that aren’t so obviously sinful struggles in our lives [11:28] but in light of the gospel they are is that we return to what we believe is personal strength.

[11:38] Our morality. We turn to trying to fix the issues with our lives by self help. The truth [11:50] is that those will only aid you as much as those immoral crutches that you turn to will [11:58] ultimately aid you. Because what the gospel does is something that we’re very uncomfortable [12:03] with and that is that the gospel is a reminder of how weak we actually are. How incapable [12:09] we are of actually fixing ourselves. But imagine a life, imagine a reality, imagine a mindset [12:17] and imagine a peace and a rest that it would bring to you if you could actually believe

[12:23] in your life that no matter what you face you always headed off with no condemnation.

[12:30] Or as verse 2 puts it, I’ve been set free. That exudes rest. It just kind of relieves [12:43] all stress. Because no matter what I do, no matter what I don’t do, no matter what comes [12:49] into my life, no matter what goes out of my life that I’ll never have again, I’ll never [12:58] again. I’ve been set free. You see when you live the reality of no condemnation, what [13:08] it gives you the ability to do is it gives you this great ability to hold everything [13:14] in your life with an open hand. Because you believe that there is a God who is so in control

[13:22] of everything that by his act and his act alone he can save. I mean he’s got the power [13:29] to make a virgin conceive. He’s got the power to speak into existence things that don’t [13:35] exist. He’s got the power to become part of his creation. He’s got the power to die on [13:39] the cross for sin. He’s got the power then after being physically dead to rise again [13:44] from the dead. When you know that that God is the God of the dead, you know that God [13:53] is the God who commands your past, the God who commands your present, the God who commands

[13:58] your future. And then when you trust in him for who he says he is, for what he said he [14:04] has done, and then what he says he will do in Jesus. When you have that kind of God and [14:10] you believe in him, well it offers you this great ability to look at everything in your [14:14] life no matter how much you have going on or how little you think you have going on [14:18] or how many people are depending on you or how many people you have a responsibility [14:23] for. You are able to just have them in his open hand and say God I can trust you with

[14:28] that. I can trust you with those people. I can trust you with these things. I can trust [14:35] you with his job. I can trust you with his illness. I can trust you with his distress. [14:40] I can trust you with his anxiety. I can trust you with who people are saying that I am [14:45] or who people are not saying that I am, I don’t want them to say that I am. [14:50] I can trust you with it. [14:51] No condemnation.

[14:53] I’ve been set free.

[14:58] Did you see, friends, nothing that you do is ever going to gain that for you. [15:05] Nothing that you accomplish.

[15:09] The only thing that will ever gain you that strength is faith in Jesus Christ.

[15:19] He gives you this hope that quite frankly removes all of the condemnation that you know [15:25] you deserve.

[15:27] Because ultimately when you’re dealing with who you are, when you’re dealing with the [15:33] things that you’re going to lose in life, and you’re going to lose things in life, [15:37] don’t think that you’re not. [15:40] For in between the time you are born and the time that you die, you’re going to lose [15:43] much.

[15:47] But Paul doesn’t give you the kind of hope that says you’re not going to lose anything.

[15:53] Paul gives you better hope. [15:55] Paul gives you the hope of what to turn to when you do lose those things. [16:00] Or what for some of us is even more important, Paul gives you the kind of hope for what’s [16:04] going to happen when you gain things. [16:07] That may kind of sway your vision away from Jesus and onto those things that are not [16:11] even going to be around once you’re dead.

[16:15] What Paul wants you to know is that Jesus gives you the hope that you can struggle with [16:22] sin in and the hope that you can struggle through hard times with. [16:27] Jesus saves that much. [16:30] Because there’s a temptation to deal with salvation in only futuristic terms. [16:36] Say, well I am saved, therefore I will be saved when I die. [16:41] Because that’s the hope that you really want, quite frankly, that’s a really good hope

[16:44] to have. [16:45] And we do have that in Jesus.

[16:49] But Jesus doesn’t just come for then. [16:53] He’s also in your life for right now. [16:56] That’s why Paul’s use of verbiage in chapter 1 is so important. [17:01] When he says, therefore, now, he means right in this instant, right where you are, right [17:10] with what you’re dealing with today, there’s no condemnation. [17:16] Right now.

[17:19] For many of you, I’m glad no condemnation is going to be there in 20 years. [17:24] That’s not the totality of the gospel. [17:27] The gospel is for you right now, wherever you are and whatever you are dealing with.

[17:35] But the example I don’t want to use right now is the example of guilt that you’re going [17:39] to struggle with because it’s what I see so many people disqualify themselves from having [17:44] the life that God desires for you from. [17:48] Is that you believe that because of sins of your past or struggles of faith that you’re [17:55] having right now that God either isn’t, won’t, or can’t use you. [18:02] And I want to tell you that Romans chapter 8 verse 1 combats that reality.

[18:06] It’s because many of you are waiting for the moment where you think that you’ve got it [18:12] all together. [18:14] You think that you’ve got the list completely done. [18:17] You think that once you get here, well then, God will use me. [18:23] Then God will begin to do things in my life. [18:27] Then I will begin to serve.

[18:30] I will begin to sacrifice. [18:33] I will begin to do. [18:34] I will begin to live.

[18:38] That’s not what this text says. [18:41] This text says now.

[18:45] So the question that I have and it’s rhetorical is where are you right now? [18:51] What’s happening in your life right now? [18:55] What are you withholding from God right now? [19:00] What is it that you have a future vision for? [19:02] Well when I’ve got all this together, well then I can do that.

[19:07] And how does the gospel of Jesus Christ inform your hesitant lifestyle?

[19:15] You see the reality is that Paul is calling us in this text when we combine it with chapter [19:21] 7 to have what John Piper calls gutsy guilt.

[19:26] He’s not telling you that well once you don’t feel so ashamed, once you’ve got all that [19:33] guilt dealt with, once you’ve got all that baggage off, once you’ve completed your one [19:37] year Bible plan, once you’ve listened to your 17th Hillsong CD, once you’ve completed that [19:43] one series podcast that you’ve been dealing with, once you finally read that Christian [19:48] book that you only got through the introduction of, once you finally do this, once you finally [19:52] do that, once you finally do the other thing, well then, God’s got me.

[20:01] This text doesn’t come with a lot of prerequisites.

[20:06] It’s not like that syllabus in college where you couldn’t sign up for this class before [20:09] you got this class. [20:10] Paul just simply looks at the gospel of Jesus Christ and he says, now no condemnation. [20:15] He says, now I’m free. [20:17] Now I’m going to live. [20:20] You see the reality is that when faith is the only weapon that you can fight guilt with,

[20:26] you realize that it’s the only weapon you’ve ever needed. [20:31] See because our temptation is to refer to the law of sin, that law that condemned us, [20:38] and begin to look at that and sometimes make up even new laws and begin to say, well if [20:43] I could only, if I could only, if I could only, if I only God can then use me. [20:49] And we’re guilty of the same sin that the church at Galatia was guilty of in Galatians [20:55] chapter 5 verse 1 when Paul looks at them and he says, understand that for freedom

[21:00] Christ has set you free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

[21:11] He looks at the way that people appeal to laws to begin to excuse themselves from following [21:19] Jesus, begin to excuse themselves from serving God, begin to excuse themselves from having [21:25] any vision for victory in their lives, or victory over sin, for victory in sacrifice, [21:31] for victory in serving God. [21:33] And Paul says, why are you attempting to commit yourself to the yoke of slavery that Jesus [21:38] has freed you from?

[21:41] How audacious must that be? [21:43] How offensive must that be to Jesus?

[21:50] He says, look to the cross, look at what I’ve done, it’s over, it’s finished. [21:54] And yet you continue to limit yourself for what God’s going to do in your life, for [21:58] what God will do through you when you serve Him.

[22:04] If you’re single, oh, if I could just get married.

[22:08] If you’re married, oh, if I could just fix my spouse.

[22:14] Oh, once I have kids. [22:16] Oh, once I have this job or that job. [22:19] And you say, well those aren’t sinful desires. [22:21] No, but they will create a yoke of slavery in your life if they’re preventing you from [22:26] following Jesus in the way that He’s called you to follow Him. [22:29] Do not condemn what Jesus says is free.

[22:33] That’s blasphemy.

[22:36] Do not call Jesus a liar.

[22:40] Some of you believe lies about yourself that Jesus is not accusing you of. [22:47] If God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has spoken through the Apostle Paul and he [22:51] says, if you’ve trusted in the Gospel, then you’re free. [22:56] You’re not condemned.

[22:59] Then who is it that’s accusing you?

[23:03] This is an objective statement from the Holy Spirit into your life. [23:07] Therefore, I know it is not God that’s accusing you. [23:09] There’s two people that are accusing you. [23:11] First, it’s Satan, because he wants to prevent you from following Jesus. [23:15] He wants to prevent you from obeying Jesus. [23:17] He wants to prevent you from having the life that God desires for you to have full of

[23:21] sacrifice that will gain you great joy.

[23:25] But then the second person is the one that Paul was combating in chapter 7, himself. [23:30] So it’s you. [23:31] It’s your flesh. [23:34] Friend, to allow your sin to become an excuse for not serving Jesus is not honoring to God. [23:42] It is doubling down on your sin and the opposite of trusting in Jesus. [23:47] It is only trusting in Jesus that will relieve your guilt and shame.

[23:52] Nothing else is going to do it. [23:55] Nothing else is going to give you that kind of strength.

[23:59] You need to trust in Christ. [24:01] You need to push back against the accusations that are always in your mind, because you’ve [24:07] got to ask yourself the question, is this conviction or is this guilt? [24:10] Because conviction draws you towards Christ. [24:14] Guilt pushes you away from him.

[24:18] See, if you’re struggling in sin and you’re constantly reminding yourself of the gospel, [24:22] you’re constantly pushing yourself towards Christ, you’re constantly reminding yourself [24:26] of how much you need him in your life, that’s conviction that God wants to make a life change [24:30] happen.

[24:33] But if all that you can think of is I’m not worthy, I can’t do it. [24:39] I don’t deserve him. [24:40] I can’t serve him in that way. [24:42] I can’t make this sacrifice because I’ll lose this other thing. [24:45] The things that keep you away from Jesus are never from Jesus.

[24:51] Because you see, ultimately what you’ve got to understand is that when you look at this [24:53] text what you’re finding in the no condemnation is that this is a conditional statement.

[24:59] See, this isn’t true of everyone. [25:02] He says, there is therefore, now, no condemnation for who? [25:07] For those who are in Christ Jesus. [25:10] See, what we want to do with the gospel is that we want to look at it, we want to make [25:13] it this unconditional statement that we’re never going to have to do anything with. [25:16] Our faith is never going to need to grow.

[25:17] Our relationship with him is never going to need to go anywhere because it’s just unconditional [25:21] love. [25:21] When the gospel is not unconditional, there’s no such thing as unconditional love.

[25:27] It doesn’t exist anywhere. [25:30] It certainly doesn’t exist with God. [25:32] You say, what? [25:34] I thought that… [25:35] What? [25:35] It is unconditional love.

[25:37] No, it’s not. [25:37] Look at all the conditions of the law.

[25:43] There are 639 conditions in the Old Testament.

[25:47] God said, that’s what love is. [25:49] Do that. [25:51] What does Jesus say? [25:51] If you love me, you’ll do what? [25:54] Obey my commandments. [25:55] Jesus even says there’s conditions on your love for him.

[25:58] You don’t love him unconditionally.

[26:02] So what does that mean? [26:05] See, the beauty of the gospel is that if it was unconditional love, there would be [26:08] nothing to be thankful for. [26:10] Paul in chapter 7 verse 25 would not have said, thanks be to Christ Jesus. [26:15] See, the reality of the gospel is that there are many conditions and Jesus meets every [26:22] single one of them for you.

[26:27] That’s why we worship Jesus. [26:29] It’s because of the conditions of God’s love that we worship Jesus. [26:35] Because he has met them and he gives us freedom and he gives us the opportunity to be loved [26:44] as well as to love God. [26:46] So number 2 this morning, understand that what matters is, are you in Christ?

[26:54] Because if you are not, then the conditions have not been met.

[27:03] And the conditions are still looming over your head. [27:06] The condemnation is very real. [27:10] The condemnation is right in front of you. [27:14] But to be free from that condemnation, friend, you must be in Christ. [27:20] When we try to change our behavior or our environment or any number of things to make [27:27] ourselves feel better about our lives, we deal with the condemnation in a way that

[27:32] God never meant us to. [27:34] It’s a subconscious attempt to either be our own savior or find salvation in something [27:40] of this world or some material thing, some material possession, some person going on [27:46] in our lives. [27:46] What we found in Romans chapter 1 is that this was what got us in trouble in the first [27:51] place.

[27:53] It’s that we exchanged the glory of God for the glory of creation. [27:58] So when you attempt either under your own effort or through some sort of idolatry in [28:03] something in this world to make yourself feel better about the plight that you are in apart [28:07] from Jesus, what you are doing is actually idolatry. [28:11] But faith in Jesus is the only sufficient means by which to relieve this from yourself. [28:19] You see in Romans chapter 8 verse 3 what he does is he explains the objective reality

[28:25] of the gospel. [28:27] Look at what he says in verse 3. [28:29] He says God has done what the law weakened by the flesh couldn’t do. [28:35] How did he do this? [28:35] He sent his son in the likeness of sinful flesh for sin. [28:40] And then Jesus dies and he redeems us.

[28:43] You say ha, it’s outside, it’s objective. [28:46] I must look to that. [28:47] There’s something real, there’s something definite. [28:50] But then in verse 2 he goes past that objective reality and he puts it inside of you. [28:57] This is what he built verse 3 on. [28:59] He says the law of the spirit of life has set you free.

[29:11] See there’s many times in your life when you look at the gospel as if something that’s [29:15] always going on outside of you. [29:18] And so what you struggle to be content is is faith in Jesus. [29:21] You want to add something else to it. [29:23] You want to say I’ve got to move past that faith thing. [29:25] I’ve got to move past trusting Jesus.

[29:27] And I’ve got to get this other stuff in my life because I’m just not feeling it. [29:31] I just don’t understand. [29:32] I can’t be content in it. [29:34] Because what you’re doing is you’re just treating it as an object of reality, something [29:39] outside of you that’s going on. [29:40] And what Paul means to do is he means to take that object of reality and deal with your

[29:45] subjective feelings.

[29:50] Because the problem that many of you are having in following Jesus is it’s based on about [29:54] how you feel when you wake up in the morning.

[29:57] Your faith is like the shifting sands of Jesus’ parable.

[30:02] That if I’m in a good mood, man I could charge hell with a water gun.

[30:11] But if I’m in a bad mood, I’m just going to hell.

[30:20] See the reality of your life is that your subjective feelings need to be triumphed over [30:27] by the objective reality of faith in Jesus Christ.

[30:33] So that whatever mood you’re in, whatever trial you’re enduring, whatever sin you are [30:42] struggling with, you do not have to look to the subjective, shifting sand foundation [30:51] of how you feel. [30:52] Instead, you can grab a hold of the rock solid cornerstone of Jesus Christ.

[31:02] Here’s how Pastor Ray Ortland puts it when he’s dealing with guilt, shame, and discouragement [31:07] in his life. [31:09] I’m so full of myself. [31:11] I’m so frustrated. [31:14] I’m so defeated. [31:16] I’m so discouraged.

[31:18] I’m so sad. [31:19] Do any of you know what those are all about?

[31:23] But Christ is sufficient. [31:28] Christ is victorious. [31:31] Christ is sovereign. [31:33] Christ is capable. [31:35] Christ is loving. [31:37] And I’m forgiven.

[31:41] So press on. [31:43] And don’t look back.

[31:48] See, friend, the strength that you need in the trying times of this life, whether it [31:58] be because of your personal sin or the effects of sin in this world, are only ever going [32:07] to be found through faith in Jesus. [32:13] This is how Paul sums it up in Colossians 2 verse 12. [32:17] He says, we’ve been buried with Jesus in baptism. [32:21] You were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God who raised

[32:27] him from the dead. [32:29] But what’s the connector in the middle of that verse?

[32:32] Through faith. [32:35] Is it through your work? [32:37] No. [32:37] You say, well, faith feels a little bit like a work. [32:41] Here’s how Paul explains that in the book of Ephesians. [32:46] He says in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 8, he says, by grace you’ve been saved through

[32:52] faith. [32:52] And you say, aha, so I get grace by doing the work of faith? [32:55] No. [32:55] He says, and this is not your own doing.

[32:59] It’s the gift of God.

[33:03] See, the answers are never you. [33:07] But it’s always what you’re trying to find. [33:09] See, sometimes what we try to do with our faith. [33:10] We even try to leverage our faith against God. [33:13] And say, I’m going to really impress God today. [33:17] I’m going to walk on water.

[33:19] I’ll throw you the life preserver. [33:22] Is that you think that you’re going to gain some merit from God because you read your [33:27] Bible or because you prayed for about 25 minutes or because you just, I’m going to build up [33:32] so much faith inside of me that God is surely going to give me everything I’ve ever wanted. [33:37] That’s the antithesis of faith.

[33:42] See, faith looks to God and faith trusts in God. [33:46] See, the strength is not in the faith. [33:50] The strength is in the God whom the faith is in. [33:54] And when you truly have faith, you even credit God for your faith as a gift.

[34:01] Because it never becomes about you. [34:04] It never becomes about what you want. [34:06] It always becomes about what he wants. [34:09] Because faith submits to the vision that God has for your life. [34:16] So how do you get in Christ?

[34:20] Well, first you realize that you don’t save. [34:24] God does. [34:26] Nor do you build up so much faith inside of yourself that God finds your faith so impressive [34:30] that he chooses to save you. [34:32] But I think sometimes this is what we try to do. [34:34] Faith finds its foundation in the grace of God.

[34:39] Because faith apart from God is absolutely meaningless. [34:43] Faith is trusting that God is greater than anything else in your life.

[34:51] This is how Pastor John Piper puts it. [34:53] He says, being in Christ is a miracle that happens from God [34:58] by uniting us to Christ and awakening faith that leads to no condemnation and power from the Holy Spirit.

[35:10] Do you want salvation?

[35:15] Do you want peace with God? [35:20] Do you want a relationship with God that will give you a life worth having? [35:26] You will only ever find it in trusting him completely.

[35:35] Saying, God, I believe you are who you say you are. [35:39] I believe you did what you said you’ve done. [35:43] And I believe you will do what you promise to do in Jesus.

[35:51] And then you give him complete control. [35:55] That is real faith. [35:58] That is where real life begins. [36:02] Because understand, in Christ you are free from the law of sin. [36:06] And you are freed to live by what he says in this text is the law of the Spirit of life.

[36:15] Because ultimately this morning, understand number three, [36:18] that being in Christ will change the way you live.

[36:24] See, sometimes this is the greatest barrier to the relationship with Christ. [36:28] Because some of us, we’ve really fallen in love with the way that we want to live.

[36:36] Even though it never gives us the return that we were looking for. [36:39] It never gives us the hope that we need. [36:41] It never gives us satisfaction. [36:43] It just keeps us striving on that hamster wheel of life where we’re running. [36:47] But we’re never getting anywhere.

[36:50] The answers are always the same, but the results are never meaningful. [36:55] It’s because you need life change. [36:59] And life change is what the gospel will give you. [37:03] And only the gospel will really ever change your life. [37:07] Why? [37:08] Because the gospel doesn’t just deal with what you do.

[37:12] The gospel ultimately deals with who you are. [37:18] Because what he has here in verse four is an if-then statement. [37:23] He basically says, if you are in Christ, then you will live differently. [37:29] Note what he says. [37:29] He says that Jesus came to fulfill the righteous requirement of the law in us.

[37:39] Who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [37:50] So what he’s telling us is that when you are without Christ, you will simply follow the way that you’ve seen life. [37:57] The best that you can. [37:58] But when you are in Christ, there’s a new sheriff in town. [38:07] There’s a new walk that you will have. [38:10] Because everything God has done in Jesus for you is true, then you will live according to his truth, rather than something else.

[38:21] Friend, understand that the things that the gospel gives you in your life are different than the things that made you feel condemnation apart from the gospel. [38:31] The truth of salvation is seen by the life that proceeds out of your salvation. [38:38] And this is the connection between Jesus justifying you and then setting you apart for his purpose. [38:45] This is what Paul was talking about in Romans 7-22. [38:48] When he says, I delight in God in my inner being. [38:52] He’s talking about the real motivations for his life.

[38:56] He’s talking about the real passions for his life. [38:58] He’s talking about what’s really pushing him. [39:00] He’s saying, I want what God wants because that’s what faith is. [39:05] It starts on the inside and then it works its way out. [39:09] See, the real answer that many of you need to answer to see whether or not your faith is legitimate and whether or not you are really in Christ is you need to deal with what’s actually going on inside of you. [39:23] And answer the question, what do I truly delight in?

[39:27] What is it that I really want? [39:30] What is it that I’m really pursuing?

[39:34] You can manufacture a lot of really good deeds.

[39:41] But you cannot manufacture desire for God. [39:46] Because that is where the change that God wants to work into your life is. [39:51] And friend, understand that you need life change. [39:55] And it all starts with faith. [39:58] There’s not a single person in this room that doesn’t need life change. [40:04] Not a single one of you.

[40:05] You may say, I’ve been a Christian for three, four decades. [40:11] I think I’ve got all the change I can handle. [40:14] God’s not done changing you until you’re dead.

[40:20] As Wayne Grudem puts it, that is the last step of life change. [40:25] Because then he glorifies you. [40:27] And you’re going to change a lot.

[40:30] Some of us are very thankful for that.

[40:34] But the reality you need to understand is that no matter who you are, no matter where you’re coming from or where you’re going, you need life change.

[40:44] Anyone that truly has faith realizes that life change is the most difficult thing that you’ll ever endure. [40:50] But it’s the greatest thing that you’re ever going to have happen in your life.

[40:55] But understand one thing. [40:56] You cannot bypass faith and move on to just doing stuff and think that that’s the change that you’re looking for. [41:03] This will leave you restless.

[41:08] Your incapability to rest in the gospel has nothing to do with what you’re actually doing for God.

[41:18] When we talk about life change, we begin to talk about the things that are making you restless in this life. [41:23] And you may say, man, I’m start trying to follow Jesus and I just get restless and I just can’t find any contentment in my life. [41:30] And I’m just burned out. [41:31] So I need a break from all of this life change that God is bringing into my life. [41:36] It’s not life change from God that’s burning you out, friend.

[41:42] Your incapability to rest in the gospel has nothing to do with what you’re doing for God, but how much you are fighting for things that will not keep you in Christ.

[41:52] You’re fighting to be in the world with your effort. [41:56] And what that’s causing is that you’re too burnt out to be in Christ. [42:04] Because your focus is still on gaining the world. [42:09] And many of us have believed the lie that we can gain everything that this world has to offer and at the same time gain Christ as well. [42:18] You can’t do it. [42:20] You cannot have it all.

[42:23] Your focus needs to be in Christ. [42:27] It needs to be on Him. [42:28] Whether it be money, whether it be prestige, whether it be power, whether it be people, whether it even be relief from the anxiety that this world is causing. [42:39] Whatever it is, you’re not going to find your hope in building a world for yourself and then building a separate world for God. [42:46] You can only do one or the other. [42:49] Look at what Colossians chapter 3 says.

[42:52] It’s another if-then statement.

[42:54] Paul writes, he says, if then you have been raised, I love the way he starts it, he says, if then. [43:00] If then you’ve been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is. [43:10] Seated at the right hand of God. [43:12] Set your minds on things that are above. [43:17] Not on the things that are on this earth. [43:18] For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ and God.

[43:25] When Christ, who is your life, appears, you will also appear with Him in glory.

[43:34] You see what he’s telling you? [43:36] He’s saying, do you want Jesus?

[43:39] Start looking at Him. [43:41] So I got, no, no, keep looking. [43:44] But I’ve got this, no, keep looking. [43:46] But I got, no, keep looking. [43:47] But then, no, no, keep looking.

[43:51] When he says, set your minds, that is a statement of concrete gazing.

[44:00] He’s saying, you look to Christ, you gaze at Christ, you live amazed at Christ, you find your wonder in Christ, [44:09] you fill your awe with Christ, and you stop chasing the things of this world.

[44:18] So many of you are continuously frustrated and discontent and stressful [44:25] because you are trying to build a life for yourself, build treasures for yourself, [44:32] and then say, but it’s all about Jesus, but you’re looking at the treasures, [44:36] it’s all about Jesus, but you’re looking at the treasures. [44:38] And Paul says, it’s not about Jesus.

[44:44] Because where is your focus?

[44:48] It’s on this world.

[44:54] For many of us, it’s just directly into a mirror.

[45:00] Because we can’t see past ourselves to find the glory of God in Christ Jesus.

[45:12] Friends, for eight chapters, Paul has expounded on the greatness of Jesus [45:21] and the necessity of faith for salvation.

[45:28] And when he begins to make a transition about the actions that this change will bring into your life, [45:37] he goes to your mind.

[45:42] Because everything that you do and are doing is from here.

[45:50] Because this is where faith begins.

[45:54] What are you setting your mind on? [45:59] Your restlessness of faith in Jesus may be rooted in the fact that your motivations [46:04] for what you are doing in your life have nothing to do with Him.

[46:10] What I want you to realize though, is that what you’re looking for is rest.

[46:16] What you’re looking for is peace.

[46:23] Is there any greater rest than no condemnation?

[46:29] Is there any other peace greater than you have been set free?

[46:38] No. [46:40] And you can have both of those things in Christ.

[46:47] In Christ alone.

[46:51] As the band comes forward,

[46:55] I want you to know one thing this morning.

[46:59] I want you to know you can be saved.

[47:04] If it’s possible that during this time,

[47:10] God’s Word has kind of struck your heart, you said, [47:13] all I’m seeing is this world. [47:15] All that I’m focusing on is in this world. [47:18] All that I’m after is this world, and I am restless. [47:21] I don’t have any contentment.

[47:27] Friend, you need faith in Jesus. [47:30] You need to stop trusting in all of the things that you’ve been trusting in in this world.

[47:37] Everything that you’ve been going to for hope, you need to turn away from those things. [47:43] And you need to, right now, in this moment, where you’re sitting, [47:46] you need to turn your attention to Jesus Christ.

[47:52] You were created to worship Him, but you sinned against Him. [47:57] And He loves you to the extent that all of the punishment that you deserve for that, [48:04] He came and He took on to Himself. [48:08] And He died for you.

[48:12] Trust Him. [48:15] Put your faith in Jesus Christ. [48:19] And then follow Him with your life.

[48:23] If you’re in here and you’re a follower of Jesus, [48:26] if you’re anything like me,

[48:29] and faith is this battle, [48:32] where the world tries to grab your attention, [48:35] and sometimes you give in.

[48:39] This morning, I want to call you as a church, I want to call you to a moment of repentance. [48:44] A moment where in your chair you deal with your sin,

[48:49] and you repent, and you fix your gaze on Jesus.

[48:54] See, every week we reflect on communion, the Lord’s Supper, [48:57] there’s four stations up here, there’s a few in the back. [49:01] But it’s this great symbol that symbolizes us leaving everything that we have, [49:09] everything that we fill our hands with, [49:11] and coming to Jesus’ table,

[49:16] empty.

[49:20] And then Jesus says, [49:23] be filled with the Gospel.

[49:27] See, when you eat, [49:30] you eat of His broken body, when you drink, [49:33] you drink of His shed blood, it’s a metaphor [49:35] for what He did on the cross for you. [49:38] And you proclaim, [49:40] the only satisfaction that I’ll ever have that will truly fill me

[49:45] is Jesus. [49:47] When you’re ready to proclaim that, come.